Written in Ink (Montgomery Ink #4)(38)

And now he was going to be a father.

It was scary how things changed.

“Not fast enough, some would say,” Sloane murmured as he carried chips and dip into the living room. The big man didn’t pause as the rest of them rolled their eyes at him. Seriously, the man had been courting Hailey without actually courting her for years, and yet he was the one talking about not going fast enough? Crazy man.

Morgan pushed at Sloane’s shoulders, and the two of them fell to the couch, sitting down with sodas in their hands and smiles on their faces. Callie might have been the one to do Morgan’s ink, but Sloane had also become friends with the man over time.

Griffin loved seeing the way that each set of family and friends seemed to mix and mingle within their own worlds and the large construct of it all. The writer in him wanted to untangle those threads to study them without ever harming them. The Montgomery in him wanted to relish in the fact that his family was here, healthy, and getting happy.

His parents were at home in love and safe.

The women in his life were enjoying their night together.

Alex might not be there that night, in that place, but he’d never lose his spot. No matter how far his younger brother had fallen, Griffin would be there to help him stand on his own. He didn’t know how much longer Alex had left in rehab, but hopefully, one day soon, he would be able to visit Alex and see for himself how the healing process was going.

“What’s wrong?” Decker asked as he walked toward Griffin. He must have handed Colin off to Austin, because Austin was nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the crew had taken their seats in the living room, shooting the shit and eating way too much junk food for men of their age.

Griffin turned to his best friend and sighed. “Thinking of Alex.”

Decker nodded and turned to lean against the wall next to him. “I hate that he’s not here. I hate more that he hasn’t let anyone in to see him. At least he’s talking to Marie and Harry, I guess. That has to count for something.”

“Are you going to forgive him for ruining your wedding?” Griffin asked, not knowing where the question had come from.

Decker frowned. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

“What do you mean? He f*cked up the reception and scared the kids. Ended up bloody like Luc.”

Luc turned to them at the sound of his name and frowned. Decker waved him off, and Luc nodded after studying them for a moment. He turned back to the conversation at hand, but Griffin hadn’t missed the curiosity on the man’s face.

Decker sighed. “Alex was hurting. It was only a matter of time before he hit bottom.” He paused. “I think that was his bottom anyway. We won’t know until he tells us. Miranda and I don’t think our wedding was ruined. We got married surrounded by friends and family at the Montgomery place. There was nothing more we wanted. Do we wish Alex hadn’t fallen? Yes. Do we wish that nothing was wrong with him? Hell, yes. Do we also wish there was a way we could fix it? Fuck, yeah. But we can’t. So we’re moving on. I love your sister with every ounce of my being. We didn’t need the trappings and the perfection of a sunny day with nothing ever wrong to make it perfect for us. It was our moment. That’s all it needed to be.”

Griffin met his best friend’s eyes, floored at the man’s words. He knew Decker loved Miranda, of course. Had seen it with his own eyes in all that Decker did. He’d known that once the two fell in love, Decker had taken a step away from their friendship because that was what happened when there had to be a place made for one’s soul mate. He hadn’t lost Decker in the slightest, but their relationship had changed. And as it had altered, so had the man before him. He’d been hurt, beaten, and had secrets of his own that no other should hold, but he’d found the one person who could not only heal him but also grow with him until the end of days.

Miranda was that person for Decker, and it killed Griffin that it had taken so long for him to realize it. Oh, he’d known for a while now, had known far longer than the marriage actually, but at first, Griffin had f*cked up and punched his best friend. He hadn’t trusted the man with his little sister and had almost lost everything because of it.

Griffin didn’t have the same temper most of the Montgomerys did. He was a slow burn that turned into a raging inferno. He’d acted without thinking, and had regretted it ever since.

“I’m sorry for hitting you over Miranda,” he blurted. “So f*cking sorry I didn’t trust you with her. I should have. You’re the greatest man I know, Decker. And I’m so f*cking happy you guys have a future together.”

Decker’s cheeks pinked a moment, and the living room grew quiet. Griffin knew all eyes were on them, but he didn’t care. Not then.

“I understood why you did it. And you’ve apologized before. It’s over, man. You apologize again, and I might have to hit you just because.”

Griffin grinned then, his shoulders relaxing. He hadn’t even realized they’d tightened.

“His hard head could probably use it,” Austin said with a laugh. “Come in and sit down. We have wings, dip, and soda. I know we usually have beer, but with the kids around and all of us having to drive home soon, it didn’t seem like the thing.”

Decker rolled his eyes. “Thank you for playing host in my house,” he said dryly. “I still don’t know why we aren’t at your place. You’re the one with the crib for the baby.”